U.S. Soccer Wire: U.S. U-19s Win First Ever FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship

NewsSep 3, 2002

TARPLEY SCORES GOLDEN GOAL IN 109TH MINUTE TO BEAT CANADA 1-0 IN EDMONTON: Under the most adverse of conditions and on the biggest of stages, the U.S. Under-19 Women’s National Team pulled off a historic victory in front of 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium, defeating host Canada, 1-0, in sudden death overtime on a 109th minute “golden goal” from U.S. captain Lindsay Tarpley. Substitute Megan Kakadelas, who came on 105th minute, created the winning goal when she received a pass from Leslie Osborne down the left flank and curved in a cross on the ground. The ball rolled across the goal to the cutting Tarpley, but she had her first shot attempt blocked. The ball somehow squirted behind the defender as Tarpley went into the tackle and the U.S. captain pounded her shot into the net from close range to end the game. Tarpley was awarded with the Bronze Boot as the third leading scorer in the tournament with seven goals, while Kelly Wilson earned the Silver Boot with nine goals, just one behind Canadian star Christine Sinclair, who had 10 goals in the competition. Wilson also picked up the Bronze Ball as the third most valuable player in the tournament. Sinclair won the Golden Ball and Brazil’s Marta was awarded with the Silver Ball. The victory was the end of a glorious two-year run to the tournament in which this group of U-19s went 21-1-1 in international competition. The U.S. U-19s finished the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record and outscored opponents 26-2.

DEFENDING CHAMPS TO HOST FIRST SEMIFINAL TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. PT ON FOX SPORTS: Of the 147 teams that were eligible to compete for the 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, only four remain as the 89-year-old single elimination tournament has reached the semifinal stage with the remaining four teams squaring off on back-to-back Tuesdays. Defending Open Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) will kick off the Semifinal Round tonight as they host the MLS' Dallas Burn at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif., at 8 p.m. PT. The other semifinal match will take place on Sept. 10 as the Kansas City Wizards (MLS) will visit the Columbus Crew (MLS) at 8 p.m. ET. Both 2002 Open Cup Semifinals, as well as the final set for the weekend of October 26-27, will be broadcast live on Fox Sports World and Fox Sports World Español.

U.S. WNT ARRIVES IN COLUMBUS FOR FIRST MATCH VS. SCOTLAND ON SEPT. 8: The U.S. Women’s National Team arrives in Columbus, Ohio, today for four days of training before facing Scotland on Saturday (Sept. 8) at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match, which is presented by KitKat, will kickoff at 1 p.m. ET and be broadcast live on ESPN. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations in Ohio and the surrounding states and by phone at 614-431-3600. Tickets are also available at the Crew Stadium ticket office (open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.). Tickets prices are $18 (endline), $25 (sideline), $35 (midfield) and $45 (club seats). It will be the first-ever meeting in women’s soccer between the two countries and an important preparation match for the Americans as they move towards the 2002 NIKE U.S Women’s Cup and the 2002 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup. Goalkeepers (4): LaKeysia Beene, Siri Mullinix, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo; Defenders (9): Jenny Benson, Thori Bryan, Brandi Chastain, Kelly Lindsey, Jena Kluegel, Heather Mitts, Christie Pearce, Nandi Pryce, Kate Sobrero;Midfielders (6): Lorrie Fair, Julie Foudy, Angela Hucles, Kristine Lilly, Tiffany Roberts, Stacey Tullock;Forwards (4): Mia Hamm, Shannon MacMillan, Cindy Parlow, Abby Wambach.

— U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM UPDATE —

U.S. WNT TO FACE AUSTRALIA, ITALY & RUSSIA IN 2002 NIKE U.S. WOMEN’S CUP IN OCT.: U.S. Soccer has finalized the opponents, dates and venues for the 2002 edition of the Nike U.S. Women’s Cup, the most prestigious women’s event conducted by U.S. Soccer, and one of the most respected women’s tournaments in the world. The four-team, six-game competition will feature the U.S. Women’s National Team, as well as Australia, Italy and Russia. In the tournament’s opening match, the U.S. will take on Russia at the Mitchel Athletic Complex on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. ET (TV broadcast to be determined). Tickets for the tournament opener, which is presented by Philips Electronics, range in price levels from $22 to $55 and are available now at 12 noon ET at all Ticketmaster outlets throughout the area (including The Wiz, Compact Disc World, Tower Records, HMV Record Stores and Filene’s) or by calling 631-888-9000 (Long Island) or 212-307-7171 (New York City). Groups of 20 or more can call the New York Power at 1-866-769-7849. From there, the tournament heads south to North Carolina, where the U.S. Women’s National Team will play two games as part of doubleheaders at the recently opened SAS Park in Cary, N.C. The U.S. Women will take on Australia on Wednesday, Oct. 2 (presented by Avaya) at 7:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN2, and finish the tourney against Italy on Saturday, Oct. 6 (presented by Chevrolet) at 2 p.m. ET live on ESPN2. Tickets for the N.C. doubleheaders, which range in price from $18 to $55, are now available at all Ticketmaster outlets throughout the Carolinas (including Kroger, Hecht's and FYE), by calling 919-834-4000 or going on-line at ticketmaster.com. For groups of 20 or more, call 312-528-1249.

T&T JOINS MEXICO AND PANAMA AS U.S. WOMEN’S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING OPPONENTS: The U.S. Women’s National Team’s road to the 2003 Women’s World Cup in China took its final shape last month with Trinidad & Tobago becoming the final team to qualify for the USA’s four-team group at the upcoming 2002 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup. The tournament, which is serving as both the women’s championship of this region and as the qualifying tournament for the 2003 Women’s World Cup, is being played from Oct. 27 to Nov. 9 in the Los Angeles area, Seattle and Victoria, B.C. The two finalists at the 2002 Women’s Gold Cup will automatically qualify for the 2003 Women’s World Cup, while the winner of the tournament’s third-place game will qualify for a Women’s World Cup qualifying playoff against the third place team from Asia. The eight-team tournament, which features two groups of four teams each, will see the U.S. face Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico and Panama. The U.S. will open the tournament on Sunday, Oct. 27 against Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, before taking on Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif. The USA’s third group match will be played on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Safeco Field in Seattle against Panama. Should the U.S. qualify for the semifinals, the team will stay in Seattle, as both semifinals will be played as a doubleheader at Safeco Field on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Those semifinal matches will decide the two automatic CONCACAF berths at the 2003 Women’s World Cup, which is being played in China from Sept. 24 to Oct. 11, 2003. The tournament’s championship and third-place games will be played on Saturday, Nov. 9 in Pasadena, Calif., at the Rose Bowl. All of the tournament matches are being played as doubleheaders and will be televised live on Fox Sports World and Fox Sports World Espanol.

— U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM UPDATE —

BERHALTER SIGNS WITH ENERGIE COTTBUS, HEJDUK OFF TO SWITZERLAND: Two U.S. defenders who hadn’t been seeing much playing time with their respective teams in England and Germany are off to different teams and different countries. Gregg Berhalter moved from English First Division club to German Bundesliga club Energie Cottbus, while Frankie Hejduk was transferred from Bayer Leverkusen to Switzerland First Division club St. Gallen. In England, Kasey Keller remained undefeated on the season as Tottenham posted a 2-1 win over Southampton to remain atop the English Premier League. Meanwhile, Brad Friedel and Blackburn lost 1-0 to Middlesborough. Both keepers have allowed just three goals in four matches to start the 2002-03 season. Midfielder Claudio Reyna again played all 90 minutes as Sunderland earned a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. In France, David Regis earned his first start with new club Troyes, who pulled out a 1-0 win over Ajaccio AC. In Germany, defenders Tony Sanneh and Steve Cherundolo both helped their teams to wins in the first round of the Deutsch DFB Cup, as FC Nurnberg handled Eintracht Trier 2-0 and Hannover 96 edged VfR Aelen 3-2 in overtime. In the Dutch Erevisie, John O’Brien and defending champions Ajax posted a 3-1 win over FC Groningen, while midfielder Earnie Stewart played 66 minutes of NAC Breda’s 0-0 draw with NEC.

— U.S. YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM UPDATE —

U.S. UNDER-20s FALL TO BRAZIL 1-0 IN FINAL, FINISH SECOND IN TOURNAMENT IN SPAIN: The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team lost to an older Brazil team 1-0 last week in the final, but finished second in the prestigious, eight-team C.O.T.I.F XIX Torneig Internacional in L’Alcuna, Spain. The U.S. Under-20s opened the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Brazil, before winning three straight matches over Italy, Ukraine and Uruguay to advance to the final. Brazil finished the tournament undefeated in five matches. U.S. goalkeeper Steve Cronin, who made three saves in the final, was named the tournament’s top goalkeeper. To get to the final and earn a chance at revenge against Brazil, the U.S. used an own goal, a penalty and a superb solo effort from Eddie Johnson to top Uruguay 3-1 in the semifinals for their third straight win. The C.O.T.I.F. tournament represented the Under-20s final international games before World Youth Championship qualifying kicks off at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C., from Nov. 13-17. The top two teams from the four-team qualifying tournament in Charleston will qualify for the 2003 World Youth Championship in United Arab Emirates from March 25-April 16, 2003.

— AROUND THE SOCCER WORLD —

CHARLES, AKERS TO BE HONORED AS PART OF WUSA ALL-STAR GAME IN PORTLAND: The WUSA will honor two of the most important individuals in the history of women's soccer when league officials present Clive Charles and Michelle Akers with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the WUSA Gala on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. PT. One of many events during the WUSA All-Star Weekend, the WUSA Gala guest list will include WUSA All-Star players and will take place at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland. The FIFA co-Player of the Century, Akers was an Olympic gold medallist (Atlanta 1996), a two-time World Champion (China 1991 and United States 1999) and scored 105 goals in 153 appearances for the U.S. Women's National Team. Akers, 36, who was born in Santa Clara and grew up in Seattle (where she was a three-time All-American at Shorecrest High School), is one of the WUSA's 20 founding players. The head coach of both the men and women's soccer programs at the University of Portland, Charles, 50, was the head coach of the U.S. men's Olympic team that finished fourth at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In 16 seasons as head coach of the Pilot men's team, and 13 seasons with the women, Charles has amassed a 406-134-41 record in a combined 29 seasons, and is one of just five coaches in NCAA history to win more than 400 college soccer games.

KARI SEITZ NAMED WUSA REFEREE OF THE YEAR: U.S. Soccer referee Kari Seitz was honored on Aug. 23 as the 2002 WUSA Referee of the Year at the second annual Founders Awards Banquet in Atlanta. A two-year veteran of the WUSA, Seitz returned last week from the U-19 Women’s World Championship in Canada, where she was no longer eligible for selection for the semifinals and finals (due to the U.S. team's advancement to the final four). The 31-year-old Seitz has been a FIFA official since 1999 and worked the Women's World Cup in the U.S. that year. The San Mateo, Calif., resident was judged as the best referee by WUSA coaches, general managers, players, U.S. Soccer and members of the media.

INDOOR SOCCER LEGEND TATU TO RETIRE AFTER 2002-03 MISL SEASON: Dallas Sidekicks' legend Tatu has announced that the 2002-03 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) season will be his last as a player. The native of Brazil is entering his 21st season as a professional indoor soccer player and his 18th with the Sidekicks. When the Sidekicks open the 2002-03 MISL season at home against the Philadelphia Kixx on Sept. 28, Tatu will become the only player to have played in all six modern indoor leagues: North American Soccer League (NASL), National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), original MISL, Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL), World Indoor Soccer League (WISL), and the new MISL. During his tenure, Tatu led the Sidekicks to championships in the CISL, MISL and WISL. He has played in 600 games and has scored 837 goals, while dishing out 699 assists during his career.

DOS SANTOS WINS SECOND MVP AWARD: Two years after first winning the award, New Jersey Stallions forward Julio Cesar Dos Santos won his second D3 Pro League Most Valuable Player honor. Dos Santos eclipsed his previous marks of 20 goals and 44 points in 2000 by netting 22 goals and seven assists for 51 points in 2002.

U.S. SOCCER SPOTLIGHT

PEAK PERFORMER: It’s hard to single out one player who contributed the most to the U.S. Under-19 Women’s National Team winning the first ever U-19 Women’s World Championship, but in the final, the sharpest blade of the oft-quoted triple-edged sword proved to be forward Lindsay Tarpley. Not only did she score the game winner in sudden death overtime to lift the U.S. team to victory, but she scored a total of seven goals to go along with five assists in the tournament, meaning she was involved in almost half of the 26 goals on the team’s dominant performance in Canada over the last two weeks.

MARQUEE MATCH-UP: It’s Julie Foudy versus Julie Fleeting as the U.S. Women’s National Team meets Scotland for the first time ever on Sunday (Sept. 8) at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The two San Diego Spirit teammates will do battle in the midfield live on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET in what will serve as a warm-up for the 2002 Nike U.S. Women’s Cup in October.

SOCCER SHOCKER: 23,595 fans for a quarterfinal. Over 30,000 fans for the semifinals. A whopping 47,784 fans for the dramatic final. No, we’re not talking about the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan. We’re talking about crowds for the U-19 Women’s World Championship, where the average crowd was over 8,000 per doubleheader, making the first ever tournament of its kind a smashing success. Kudos to FIFA and Canada Soccer.

QUOTABLE:“It can now be a dream of younger players to compete to win a world championship at the U-19 level. It was a wonderful experience that will pay off later in their careers. At 19, 18 or 17, to play in front of 50,000 fans in a World Championship, you just can’t simulate that.” - U.S. Under-19 WNT head coach Tracey Leone, on the atmosphere of the U-19 WWC